by dawn, the kennedy compound was surrounded. president obama called the family at 2:30 in the morning. >> he was a guardian for his family and for america he was the defender of a dream. >> ted kennedy was elected to the senate in 1962, winning the seat vacated by his brother john. within six years, he inherited the family maniple -- mantle after the assassination of both of his brothers. biographers say he struggled with the family name and his own demons. the death of a friend near chappaquiddick with kennedy behind the wheel is a part of his personal history. his bid for the president's seat ended in defeat to jimmy carter. >> the work goes on, because endures, the pope still lives, and the dream shall never die. >> at kennedy is remembered as the lion of the senate.

>> that every american, north, south, east, west, young, old, get decent, quality health care as a fundamental right and not a privilege. >> aides to barack obama call kennedy's endorsement in 2008 pivotal. >> i am proud to stand with him here today and offer my help, offer my voice, offer my energy, my commitment to make barack obama the next president of the united states. >> today, as leaders around the world offered praise, it was an emotional joe biden who made it clear this is a man considered by many in washington not only a great leader but also a great friend. >> to change the circumstances of tens of millions of americans in a literal sense. >> today, one public mourner said massachusetts has never

known life without ted kennedy. >> senator kennedy will be buried near his brothers at arlington national ceremony -- cemetery. he will lie in repose at the presidential library in boston on thursday and friday and a mass will be held at our lady of perpetual help basilica in boston on saturday. senator kennedy is eligible to be buried at arlington national cemetery because of his time in congress and two years in the army. before he died, the senator tried to make sure that massachusetts had two senators in place for the health care vote. today, the fall patrick said he supports the idea. kennedy sent a letter to state lawmakers asking that the law be changed so the governor can appoint someone to fill his seat until the next election. among those eressing condolences for senator kennedy,

former president jimmy carter, remembers his friend aa champion for the underdog. >> we have never seen anyone in the senate is more assiduously and constantly enthusiastically dedicated his life and tried to make sure that everything the u.s. government decided was in the best interest of the people who were deprived, pork, neglected or fell the depravity of discrimination. >> british prime minister gordon brown said at his -- praised his tireless work on health care reform. irish leaders recalled kennedy's instrumental influence on the peace process in northern ireland. politicians on both sides of the aisle here, senator kennedy was a grim political force and friend. and to journalists, he was a central figure in many stories. gordon peterson is live in massachusetts this evening. everyone is talking about his focus on health care, but you

say there is a bigger issue that helped define him? >> i am having a little trouble hearing you. senator john kerry just came out to visit with the kennedy family, talk to the press. what i am remembering now is senator kennedy's efforts on behalf of john kerry and iowa in 2004. he was having the time of his life. he is getting the crowds fired up. he said he was going to give them on a chance, and they loved it and he did not want to quit. he had this remarkable ability to fire rocked the crowd and he liked every minute. he was surely the grandfather. sorry to interrupt you there, leon. >> we have all been talking about senator kennedy and his impact on the health-care debate and it was an issue he was so closely attached to.

>> leon, i'm sorry, i am not hearing anything that you are saying. you are breaking up. let me just carry on a little bit here and describe what has be going on. in the city, there is a museum to john f. kennedy, and people have been pouring in all day, signing a book, putting down their feelings about senator kennedy who did tremendous things for the state legislatively. there is a memorial on the water here to john f. kennedy. people have been walking up and standing and looking over the water where senator kennedy love to sail, his favorite thing in the world. his personal accomplishments, i think, will be talked about for years and years. they are literally numbering in the thousands. the person whose job has cancer gets a call from senator kennedy says, look, there is a progr and massachusetts general hospital that might work for

your child. 77 families affected by 9/11, each of them got a personal call from senator kennedy. he set up meetings with federal and state officials to help them, there is a memorial at the public gardens in boston to the 77 massachusetts residents who died in 9/11, and each and every one of them had a personal relationship and calls from senator kennedy. >> gordon peterson, live from cape cod. thank you, my friend. a few more details about senator ted kennedy, he was elected to the senate nine times, it record matched only by senator byrd. now with the passing of senator ted kennedy, jean kennedy smith is the only sibling still alive. senator kennedy leaves behind his wife vicki and their combined five children. morcalls for south carolina's governor to step

down. the man in the middle of the scandal is responding. >> how successful was cash for clunkers? the numbers are in. >> a very nice, late august day, sunshine, high temperatures, and then there is danny. the latescoming up.

announcer: during the autobahn for all event, you can get great lease deals. i love it! i just want to know it's the right move. me? thirteen days in the future. you get a deal on the car you always wanted. scheduled maintenance is included, it's all good. what's the future like? you love your new jetta. and the suit? you like it? no...i love it!

ted kennedy's capitol hill office has been designated as a e ibute site to hthonotela senator. >> kris van cleave has a look inside the park -- inside the office. he has reaction for us live from capitol hill. >> the senator's private office is not open to the public, but his main senate office is open with a tribute site. it was all a steady stream of people from capitol hill and across the country to remember senator ted kennedy the capital mourns, its flag at half staff. ted kennedy's office it's quiet, its walls literally papered with history. >> this is the cause of my life. >> the senators inner sanctuary

stands as a memorial to an incredible legislative legacy that helped shape this country. in the reception area, mourners gathered, paying their respects, soaking in the images, marking the life. >> it is pretty amazing. >> for this entire family from massachusetts, ted kenne been t, serving nearly 47 years. it seeing images like these hit home. >> the kennedy name has been in my head since i was little. i just remembered all the different things. i heard my mother talked about, my grandmother talk about. it >> you see the history and legacy. >> this man and his father wanted to pay tribute. >> it is a day in history, and it was a no-brainer to try to come here and pay our respects

and be part of it. >> it brought me back to the assassinations of his brothers. >> standing inside the private office, stood behind the desk and looked around. there was photo after photo of all of the historic moments, and then a row of photos stored above the door, paintings, drawings by his children, some of them 30 years old and older, clearly his family always on his mind. senator y ol ris va >> more on the life and legacy of senator ted kennedy coming up tonight on abc world news with charlie gibson, after the news, and more local reaction at 11:00. next, the most popular cars and trveedse dg in and purchased during the cash for clunkers program.

>> today was another beautiful day. tropical storm danny is picking up steam. >> the tone at redskins park is very serious as they get ready for the new england patriots. there is concern over the inconsistent offense and with the team is going to do. and what the team is going t do. come on in. you're invited to the chevy open house.

where getting a new veclhi eisasy. because the price on the tag is pr eyothe e icu pay. you'll find low, straightforward pricing on remaining '08 and '09 models including eight that offer an epa-estimated 30 miles per gallon highway or bette like this '09 malibu 1lt it 30 miles per gallon highway or bette h an epa estimated 33 mpg highway. get it now for around $21,500 after all offers. go to chevy.com/openhouse for more. etlsai ls oh yea, well for 6 months, customers get all three:

fios tv, internet and phone for just $79.99 a month. oh, alright, see... you're just moving your fingers, aren't you? i gotta cut my nails. (announcer) now get three amazing fios services for the price of two. tv, internet, and phone for only $79.99 a month for 6 months. plus a free multi-room dvr for three months. record shows in one room--watch in another. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800.974.6006 tty/v and get fios tv - ranked highest in overall customer satisfaction by j.d. power and associates. america's top rated internet--now even faster, and crystal clear phone service. all for just $79.99 a moh for 6 months. plus, for a limited time, a free multi-room dvr for 3 months. that's an overall savings of $240 dollars over six months. don't miss this unbeatable value 3 great services, for the price of 2. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800.974.6006 tty/v today.

the calls are growing louder for the resignation of south carolina gov. mark stanford. they say the embattled governor need to step down. basic questions about expenses and his travels have paralyzed the state. they say his resignation will avoid tying up the legislature with an impeachment trial. at stanford responded, saying that he will not be railroaded out of office. new data reveals how successful cash for clunkers was, dealers submitted more than 690,000 vehicles. 84% of computer -- 84% of consumers traded in trucks. the toyota corolla was the most popular new vehicle purchased,

followed by the honda civic and toyota camry. i did not see any convertibles in that group. today would have been and i stayed have one. >> -- today would have been a nice day to have fun. >> we have a lot of things to watch. we go up on the rooftop, look around town. we just have some fair weather clouds, no rain, around 90 degrees. very comfortable evening this wednesday. let's talk about tropical storm danny, born this morning at 11:00,officially designated by the hurricane center, top wind of about 45 m.p.h. it looks as though it has a good chance of intensifying over the next 48 hours, drifting to the

northwest. we will see it pass fairly close to the north carolina coast early saturday morning, maybe category one hurricane. that will impact mid-atlantic beaches and could also impact our weather. let's go to the numbers and explain, starting with the score board. 92 and 71, another above average weather day. 90 degrees everywhere you look. no big stories, with the exception of the big definition and temperatures. at 63 degrees detroit, 89 washington. something is up with that, the cold front separating the " air from the hot and humid air that will drive to the south. the temperatures will go down and it will unsettle the weather with chances of storms. as we get deeper into the weekend, the front moves further to the south.

another front will set the stage for saturday and sunday to be cloudy, occasional showers. thene have a possible impact from danny. the potential is there for gusty wind and on the coast. it is too early to tell. we're not expecting a powerful storm, the best will be category one hurricane east of the delmarva peninsula. a pleasant air moving across new england, giving a real taste of september, but because of all the systems coming in, it will take until next week before we feel the impact of that system. short-term, we focus on the features to the west and the approach of danny. the express forecast tonight, 64-70 in the morning, isolated showers and thunderstorms, near 87 degrees. check out monday through wednesday ne week, sunshine, it only highs in the upper 70's, arnd0. that is nice.

>> that is excellent. >> that is september weather. >> good timing. big game on friday. >> i want to see some numbers this friday from the redskins. >> you are not the only one. the coach does, too. the redskins are getting ready to welcome to england patriots. rock cartwright and carlos rogers will not suit up for the game. we will get an extended look at the first-team offense, which previously this preseason have not distinguished themselves. head coach jim zorn ss what he wants to see from the office on friday is consistency. >> i want to see a sustained drive, i want to see as push it in when we get down to the three-yard line. those are the things i want. not getting down when something happens bad, coming back up, concentrate, make the adjustments. >> we want to show what we are

capable of. i think we have the tools. now it is on us to get going. an old friend of the redskins will be returning to washington friday night, coming out of the opponents locker room. shawn springs is now planned for the patriots. iquarterback jason campbell says they're looking for the meeting up with springs. >> i saw him at a tennis match a couple weeks ago and he said i cannot wait to play against you. i said, all right, if you play. it is preseason. the redskins a brand new punter coppersmith spoke today about what will be a big obstacle -- a brand new punter at hunter smith spoke about the brand new obstacle at texas stadium.

the $25 million scoreboard hangs over the middle of the field and so far a number of ponds have bounced off the low hanging scoreboard. smith said it will be interesting in dallas. >> i will just have to get there, talk to some guys before their rigid beforehand to of played there and decide whether it is a correctional situation or if he can hit the ball down the middle of the field. i am not sure. it will change the game in texas stadium. >> the billion dollar stadium, jerry jones says he is not moving the school board. hernandez will be back on the mound tonight against his old team, starting for the chicago cubs. he was released last month by the new york mets. at the nationals picked up yesterday. -- the nationals picked him up yesterday. rick patina lashed out today, saying dealing with accusations that he sexually assaulted a former female acquaintance has been pure hell

for he and his family. pitino has admitted to having sex with the woman but claims he never assaulted her. >> everything has been reported. everything is one how to% a lie. -- everything is 100% a lie. a total fabrication of the truth, except what i told you. in today's political pulse, and look at the impact senator kennedy's death will have on health care reform. >> after senator ted kennedy's death, members of congress are doubling their efforts to pass the health care bill in his honor. do not expected to tame the raging debate over the signature issue. it will probably make it harder for supporters to pass a bill given the democrats are left for now with only 59 members and the

senate, one crucial vote less than the number they need to break a filibuster.

the last word on the forecast? >> tomorrow, a chance of a shower or thundershower, cooler than today. this is from the systems coming in from the west and possible interaction with tropical storm danny. the sky will clear up late on sunday, cool and pleasant weather early next week.

the official update from tropical storm danny will come out at 11:00 and we will have that for you. abc world days is coming up next. >> -- abc world news is c is announcer: during the autobahn for all event, you can get great lease deals. i love it! i just want to know it's the right move. me? thirteen days in the future. you get a deal on the car you always wanted. scheduled maintenance is included, it's all good. what's the future like? you love your new jetta. and the suit? you like it?

no...i love it!